False identity charge leads to local arrest

Anthony GonzalezStaff Writer

April 30, 2013

The Yadkin County Sheriff’s Office arrested Jose Luis Garcia-Rodriquez, 32, of Yadkinville and charged him with 25 counts of identity theft and 25 counts of obtaining money by false pretenses, according to a sheriff’s office release.

According to a law enforcement spokesperson, officers received a report of identity theft from a victim living out of state. The victim informed law enforcement officials that he had received a letter from the IRS indicating that he did not report earnings in 2011 from working at Lydall. The victim informed the Sheriff’s Office that they have never even been to the State of North Carolina, nor worked for Lydall, according to the release.

The Sheriff’s Office then contacted Lydall’s human resources department and confirmed that they had an employee there by the name of the victim.

The Sheriff’s Office interviewed Mr. Jose Luis Garcia-Rodriguez at Lydall and say they discovered fraudulent documents including a social security card and North Carolina Identification card had been allegedlyl used by the suspect to gain employment with Lydall under the victim’s name, according to the report.

“We rarely get these types of cases,” said Margie Howell with the Yadkin County Sheriff’s Department. “Just imagine if it were your identity? You’ll probably call the police department too, and that’s why we investigate.”